Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy is aware that an arrangement is in place and he is asking me to break that arrangement. He is saying that we should allocate extra teachers but that when there is a fall-off in pupil numbers I should break the rules. I have to be fair. The number of teachers that will be affected is approximately 50 and, overall, we are employing an extra 500 teachers. What is important is the quality of teaching. We are lucky in that the quality of persons wishing to become involved in the education system is of the highest standard. The most important issue that emerges from surveys of parents is the quality of teaching.

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